White Rose, Black Thorns
by Vamien
Summary: After Shirogane 'dies', what happens to Akira? Just how does he take it, overall, and what happens over time? There will be fluff, and romance later on.
1. Chapter 1

Unspoken words definitely hurt the most. Yeah, definitely.

Or at least that was what Akira thought as he made his way home from the battle scene that had prior taken place.

As Shirogane had slipped through his fingers, disappearing into a light that made his eyes burn not from the brightness, but from what it meant, he'd realized that he'd never said a single word to the man that had suggested he'd returned his feelings.

Even now he was a bit confused. Did he really feel the same way back? Or was Shirogane just bluffing all those times? He certainly didn't act like it, but who knows; the guy was a complete mystery case.

As he closed the door behind him, he instinctively glanced at the empty hallway behind him. Yes, empty…no white-haired man following him, sticking close to his side or lurking in the shadows. Sighing, he dropped his jacket carelessly on the floor, kicked off his shoes and made his way upstairs, hands in pockets.

His room was no different. Strangely, almost horribly deserted. Bed neatly tucked (for some reason), walls clean and not backdropping a black outline with a rimmed hat. The window was like a black paper cutout lined with blue rimming.

After all that had happened, admittedly, he was tired. So tired that he didn't even bother undressing or tucking himself in and just flopped onto the surface of his bed, succumbing his exhausted mind to rest almost as soon as his head made contact with the pillow.

Several days had passed since that night, but they seemed all blurred into one confusing madhouse. He couldn't concentrate in school, even if he just hung out on the rooftops anyway. He often spaced out and tripped over his own feet, or forgot entirely what he was doing and was left to a blank stupor instead.

And his dreams still continued.

The dreams where he would seem to wake up and find Shirogane standing there, or sitting on the edge of his bed, and say, "Akira-kun, you know I can't stand to see you with that look on your face." At first he had merely stared, the blue eyes he knew so well staring back with the pink lips just below curved into that signature smile that used to so piss him off, but now tormented him more than anything.

Every time, the white-haired shadow had started to fade, glowing like that day in the cavern as his expression would turn sad. After a few times, Akira would reach out and try to make him stay, and eventually he was thrown to desperation, crying out and lunging for the disappearing man with tears in the corners of his eyes. He would wake up, sweating, wide-eyed, and already sobbing.

Every time he would baffle himself. He never cried, never, not even in the worst of circumstances. But somehow, reliving that loss over and over again was too much for him to handle.

So there he was, lying on his back in bed with his hands behind his head, buzzed on caffeine to try and keep awake for as long as possible. It was late, early at this point, but he refused to surrender himself just yet.

It had been exactly two weeks since Shirogane's departure. Had it really only been two weeks? It felt like both two days, and two years at the same time.

After what felt like a few minutes he opened his eyes. Wait. Shit. Opened his eyes? Cautiously he let his vision wander over to the side. He almost choked on the breath that caught in his throat.

There he was again, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down at him with the warm gaze that, this time, made a wave of reassurance sweep through his body. The breath that had formerly been caught was almost taken away; none of the previous dreams had been this vivid.

The sudden realization that if this was more vivid than the previous, it would be far more painful as well, hit him and he rolled over on his side away from the shadow king.

"Akira-kun…why do you turn away from me?"

Akira tensed. This was almost TOO real. He had closed his eyes for just a few moments…was it really possible he'd dozed off in that short of a time?

_Maybe this isn't a dream_, squeaked a tiny part of his brain, making his entire body, including his mind, freeze. No, it had to be a dream. Shirogane wasn't coming back.

"Are you mad at me, Akira-kun?"

_Stop. Please._

"You're not real," Akira said flatly, not moving from his current position. "You can't be."

He almost rolled over when he heard a soft laugh spread through the air like a sweet scent. Almost. But he held back, just in case he saw something he didn't want to see.

"Not real? How mean."

Akira did actually move when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Okay, this was definitely different. Shirogane had never reached out to him in any of the dreams, or even made a move to. And this felt so achingly real.

When the teenager's eyes once again fell on the man leaning over him, he practically gaped. Shirogane had taken off his hat and was holding it in the hand that wasn't currently on Akira's shoulder, some humor putting a twinkle in his eyes as he smiled just a bit wider.

In short, he was quite possibly the most stunning and beautiful sight Akira had ever laid eyes on.

Shirogane's face slowly became blank, and he looked slightly worried. Akira was about to ask what was wrong when the white-haired man beat him to it and inquired, "Is there something on my face?"

Akira snorted, regaining some of his former attitude as he retorted, "Nah, just your goofy mug."

This immediately brightened the shadow king's expression and he threw himself down against the boy on the bed, earning a disapproving yelp from said student as Shirogane nuzzled the side of his head and said, "Oh, Akira-kun, you haven't changed a single bit. What a relief."

"Alright, alright! Get off, for crying out loud," Akira huffed, becoming a bit surprised when his words were met with an unresponsive silence.

"Oi, Shirogane…?" he said after a few moments, only to become quiet once again when the man's arms tightened around him.

"I…really missed you, you know, Akira," Shirogane whispered against Akira's neck, causing the teen's eyes to widen.

"You…you can cut the sappy stuff," Akira mumbled, though he didn't push Shirogane away, which the man found a bit surprising but naturally he didn't protest.

"I'm not being sappy, I'm being honest," insisted the shadow king, pulling back so he could cup the light king's cheeks in his hands, which, this time, were not gloved. It took Akira a moment to notice but when he did his features lost their annoyed edge.

"Shirogane…what exactly…what happened after you vanished?" Akira asked, his tone lowered and hesitant, as though even mentioning that event was not something he wanted to do.

Surprisingly, Shirogane's expression didn't change, and he just chuckled softly under his breath before answering, "This and that, really. But I'm back now, and with you, so that's all that matters."

A few hesitant seconds after he'd finished speaking the man leaned in to kiss the boy below him, but Akira turned his head away and he paused, looking hurt.

"You're still as secretive as always," said the teen with obvious scorn. Shirogane stayed where he was for a moment before drawing back with a sigh, closing his eyes and turning away. Akira looked over to watch him, his expression hard.

"I almost died…these last two weeks have been possibly the most painful of my entire existence," said the shadow king with a soft, almost defeated voice, which made Akira feel slightly guilty. "If you were asked to retell a point in your life like that, would you oblige?"

Immediately the light king's mind reeled back into memories of the last two weeks from his point of view, how _he'd_ experienced them, and he bit his lip. "…No…"

"But, aside from that…what has happened in my absence?" Shirogane inquired in a lighter tone, obviously trying to lighten the atmosphere again. Instead it had the opposite effect and Akira scowled.

"Tch, why should I tell you?"

Shirogane looked blank. "Why not?"

"Didn't you just ask me if I would oblige to retell the most painful time in my life?"

Needless to say, the white-haired man was shocked. It took him a some time to recover his voice but when he did he asked almost incredulously, "Akira-kun, you…actually missed me…and that much...?"

"What, you need me to repeat myself? You should know I won't."

Silence.

_Why wasn't he saying anything?_

Finally his curiosity got the better of him and Akira turned his head to see why Shirogane had fallen silent, and he practically jumped.

To see that expression on the man's face was almost overwhelming. Akira had never seen him look so happy; it was as though his heart had just overflowed and was spilling in the form of tears out of his eyes. The way his eyebrows were angled gave a hint of something like sadness, but looking again it appeared to be closer to relief.

"Jeez, what's with the face?" Akira asked, masking his surprise with an almost sharp tone, though it was empty of hostility. Shirogane seemed to notice that small factor, and his smile became even sweeter.

"And how would you expect me to react to something like that?" asked the shadow king, once again leaning down over the light king with his hands on either side of the boy's head. Akira's expression became hard, but he waited to see what would happen anyway, which he figured he knew.

He turned out to be proven right when Shirogane bent down a second time to attempt to convey his feelings. As before, Akira turned his face away, but this time the white-haired man wouldn't have it; he gently but firmly grasped his chin and turned his head back to its former position, wasting no time in closing the rest of the distance and pressing his lips fully against Akira's.

"Hey, Shirogane! …Cut it out!" the teenager exclaimed, pushing him back just far enough to speak. The man's eyes were just barely open, and a soft smile now decorated his pink lips. "I am sorry, but I won't let you get away from me this time," he said with a hint of mirth to his tone.

"I don't want this!"

There was a pause, in which time period the man let out a tiny chuckle.

"Are you sure?"

This time it was Akira who paused. To his own befuddlement, he actually had to think about that question. No, he wasn't sure…in fact he was starting to think that maybe, just maybe he did.

_Wait! What? No!_

Shirogane was a man…but then again, what did it matter? Hadn't most of his beliefs been torn to shreds when he'd been dragged into this mess?

And Shirogane had been nothing but kind to him; cared for him, put his life on the line to keep him safe. Stayed by his side to make sure he was alright.

"…No."

"No?"

Finally giving in to the aching, nagging feeling that had been bothering him for all this time in the back of his mind and on the tips of his fingers, Akira reached up and twined his fingers into the fine white hair at the back of Shirogane's head. His expression was still hard, as if steeled from the man's deep gaze, as he pulled the other down and into a kiss.

"I'm sure…that I do."

**Disclaimer: I don't own Monochrome Factor nor any of the characters within it. I'll probably write more chapters, but reviews certainly help~. 3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thank you guys for the delightfully nice reviews! Sorry for taking so long in writing a second chapter and I'm also sorry if it doesn't please like the first one may have w;; I'll do better on the third. **

Ohh, how boring school was. Having a short attention span, Akira never did particularly well in classes when he actually attended them, but today was not one of those exceptions.

Kengo wasn't with him as he lounged on the rooftop, and he'd managed to avoid Aya for the most part, except for a chase scene in the very beginning of school that had ended with him up a tree waiting for her to pass.

Last night. Did it really happen? He almost felt like he could still taste Shirogane on his lips, but then, as time went on, hadn't his dreams just been getting more and more vivid?

And the shadow king wasn't there when he'd woken the next morning to an alarm that had been going off for fifteen minutes, hadn't shown up as he'd sprinted to school for no apparent reason since it never mattered if he was on time or late except for the fact that he'd get chewed out by Aya if it was the latter.

Sighing, he leaned his head back against the chain-link fence he was propped against. Life had never held a particular meaning for him until now, and that meaning was uncertain still. He wasn't positive that the light in his life was actually lit.

"Yo, Akiraaa!"

Peeking open one eye Akira's brow furrowed as he saw Kengo trotting towards him with a pair of bento boxes held in his hands, the same goofy smile as always on his face as he stopped in front of his friend and sat down cross-legged.

"What's up, man? What's with the look, huh? You tired?"

"…Yeah. Didn't sleep much last night."

"Well, I brought lunch up for ya, thought you might like something to munch on."

Akira didn't answer to that as Kengo set up the boxes in front of them and took some chopsticks out of his uniform jacket's pockets. His mind was already elsewhere, back in his room, back on that man that he could've been so sure had been sitting on the edge of his bed, smiling down at him.

As a result his eyesight wandered off to the side, and he missed the initial giveaway that there was someone else in their presence.

It took an exclamation from Kengo to alert him of it, though it required a further "Hey, Shiroganeeee! That's my sushi!" to make his head turn.

"Oh, come now, that's a rather large bento you have there, surely you can spare a portion," said the white-haired thief lightly, dodging one of Kengo's hands as it swung around and tried to reclaim its owner's food.

Akira just stared. His brain hadn't quite processed the fact that he was sure he was awake, and that Kengo had just proclaimed Shirogane's existence with his own voice and eyes.

When it did, he reached up when the shadow king got close enough and grabbed a handful of his long black overcoat, tugging the taller man down to sit right beside him. Even despite his surprise, Shirogane still kept a sure hold on the sushi.

"Where've _you_ been?" he asked grumpily, enticing a sheepish sort of smile to surface on the other's face.

"Ah, I…had to take care of a few things," Shirogane admitted, reaching up to scratch at the corner of his mouth with one finger. "Things aren't very quiet on the other side, as they are here."

"Does it have anything to do with that guy with the red hair? Hamu…Huro…"

"Homurabi, yes."

"That bastard."

Shirogane turned his head in evident surprise this time as he heard Akira speak those two words. Never had he heard such venom in the teenager's voice; it was almost frightening.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Kengo waved his hands quickly in front of himself and said with a nervous laugh, "Hey, no need to fall into a mood! All that matters right now is that Shirogane's back, right? We have our prime groupie back! We're complete again!"

Touched, Shirogane smiled up at Kengo with a grateful sort of look in his deep blue eyes, but Akira's gaze traveled downward as well as the corners of his mouth. Noticing this, the shadow king braced his gloved hands on either sides of his hips and scooted backward to rest against the chain-link fence behind them both, murmuring, "My condition is stable now…I should be able to stay here if I just make small undetected visits to my home every once in awhile."

Akira's eyes became shadowed then and he clenched one of his fists, though the hand that was nearest Shirogane's own reached out and grabbed it, squeezing it tightly as its owner muttered, "You better. If you ever leave again…I swear I'll…I'll…"

Shirogane's expression softened. "Kill me? Never speak to me again? Never forgive me? …Chase me, perhaps?"

Akira's head jerked around then and he stared with such a solid, sharp gaze at Shirogane that it made the shadow king's eyes widen and his face go blank. "Oh, I'd definitely chase you. And when I'd catch you, there's no way you'd ever get away again."

Sighing, Shirogane turned the hand that Akira now held over so he could grasp the light king's in return, and he answered, with all the truth and honesty his heart had ever held conveyed in his eyes and words, "I will not be taken from your side again, Akira-kun."

Both of the king's heads turned as they heard a loud, protestant whine emit from the individual in front of them, followed by, "You guuyyys, I exist too, y'know!"

**Disclaimer: I don't own Monochrome Factor or any of the characters within it, who belong to their own respectful owner. 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Long wait, sorry 'bout thats :U I keep worrying about disappointing because of the roll I was on with the first chapter (maybe the second one I dunno xD) so I hope this one's alright. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: I don't own Monochrome Factor nor any of the characters used here.)**

Later in the day, after many heartwarming reunions from other members of the group, Akira and Shirogane sat on the riverbank at sunset with no words spoken between them for the longest time, as they enjoyed the sight of the sun returning to the shadows. There was no one else around, though there was a path behind them and a bridge nearby.

After many moments of silence, Akira spoke, though he didn't turn to face he who the words were meant for. "Hey, I got a question. If light and dark are two sides of the same coin, shouldn't the shadow realm just be a darker copy of the light world?"

"Essentially, yes," Shirogane answered, and like Akira, he also did not take his eyes off of the sinking sun. There was a pause, before Akira immediately followed up his prior inquiry with another.

"So if that's true, then why aren't you black-hearted just like all the others from your realm?"

The shadow king chuckled, inclining his head so the rim of his hat darkened his face. "I think perhaps if you gave that more thought, you'd answer it yourself. Just like not everyone from the light realm is pure-hearted, not all the inhabitants of the opposite side of the coin are contrasting to the innocent. That's where the true balance comes from, and yet also where the imbalance arises."

The white-haired man then stood up, using his cane as a prop to do so and brushing off his black overcoat once he was on his feet. After he was satisfied with the state of his garb, he turned to Akira and held out his hand. "Let's head home, hm?"

The boy on the ground did nothing but stare at that gloved hand for a few long moments, before he surprised Shirogane by reaching up and grasping it, pulling himself up with the other's help. Akira himself was surprised as well; he and Shirogane had not touched often, and quite frankly, the man's firm and sure grip came as something of a shock to him. He'd always expected a more dainty, perhaps fragile hold from the shadow king.

That was one of the things that pissed him off about the guy. He was never as he seemed to be.

But even so, as they began the walk home, Shirogane entwined his fingers with Akira's from the former helping hold, but instead of yanking his hand away, the student simply squeezed the other's hand and remained silent.

It was at about the halfway point between the river and his house that Akira began to feel weary. A bit too weary, in fact…as the nights of sleepless torment finally caught up to him, mixed with the relaxing atmosphere, his knees buckled beneath him and he took a tumble for the cement.

But as always, those arms were there to catch him, hold him up and protect him. This time they went the extra mile and hooked under his knees, sweeping him off his feet and into their comforting hold. His eyesight was still blurry, and all Akira's mind could register was the slight jostling made from Shirogane's steps on the pavement as he walked.

No words were spoken, and as Akira's vision came back to him and he looked up, he saw Shirogane's face, closer than he'd normally find desirable but facing forward, with a warm smile placed on those pink lips and making the eyes of pale blue swim with feeling.

"Shiro…gane…" Akira murmured emptily, and the sound of his voice made the man's smile soften even further, though the only sound that slipped past his lips was a quiet "Shh."

Upon stepping up to the front door, Shirogane opened it with the handle of his cane, slipping inside and nudging it closed with the heel of his boot. As always he didn't take them off as he made his way indoors and up the stairs, making no sound and closing the door to Akira's bedroom as well once he had moved inside.

"Here we are," Shirogane then said with a slight huff, setting down the boy in his arms on the bed and being as careful as was possible of him. He then began to straighten and turn, his intent being to leave and let Akira rest. But evidently sleep wasn't on the light king's mind, and his hand shot out to seize Shirogane's tie and yank it out from under the man's overcoat, which in turn caused him to wheel around and stumble onto the bed himself.

Shirogane's eyes widened as he saw the way Akira's gaze burned into his own, and he opened his mouth to attempt to ask what on earth had gotten into the boy but was abruptly cut off by those very lips that frowned upon him so often, swallowing any words that had been about to escape. The bump of Akira's forehead against the rim of his hat was all it took to send it toppling off of his head.

As a result, he couldn't resist the tug that sent him rolling onto his back on the mattress. No…he didn't want to. In the time it took Shirogane to blink Akira was on hands and knees above him, his usual determined attitude showing in every move he made as his fingers undid the buttons on the other's overcoat.

"A-Akira-" Shirogane began to say, only to break off as Akira frowned down at him and said, "Shh."

Trying not to look too confused and shocked, Shirogane obeyed and said nothing as Akira parted the coat to expose the snow-white under-dress, which he stared at for a few long moments before abruptly slipping an arm underneath the man's back, forcing it to arch and inducing a gasp from the individual under him. The fingers on his other hand searched until they found what they wanted, and a moment later the zipper had been dragged down and the fingers of both hands were slipping the fabric off of Shirogane's shoulders.

And were halting.

Akira's brow furrowed as he stared down at the ghostly pale chest of the shadow king. He'd reached his goal; and he saw what he'd expected to see.

Scars decorated the white-haired man's skin like cruel reminders. Thick and thin, straight and curved. Some were obviously old, and starting to fade into permanent marks, but others were fairly new. As Akira glared down at them, every part of his brain echoed the initial thought he'd had; how dare they.

"So you _were_ hiding something," he muttered with a soft, bitter laugh. Shirogane turned his gaze off to the far wall, a shameful smile saddening his own expression. "Of course."

Akira's eyes narrowed even further, but as he started to clench his fists, soft hands on his cheeks made him stop, and without quite knowing why he let himself be pulled forward. Let his head be turned to the side so his ear could be pressed against Shirogane's chest.

"What do you hear, Akira?" came Shirogane's velvet voice from just above his head.

"Strangely enough, a heartbeat," was the teen's response, making the shadow king chuckle.

"That's correct. The same as yours. Do you know what else we have in common?"

Akira didn't answer. Not because he was being difficult, but because he found himself wanting to know Shirogane's answer.

After a few moments, during which time Shirogane's fingers began to gently stroke through Akira's hair, the shadow king told the light king;

"We don't give up."


End file.
